G-pinions

NBA2K7 is another bad sports game. Nick and I spent hours playing it this weekend, though, and my belly hurt so much from laughter I could have been running the court in real life. Sports games are like bad comedies at this point - completely unwatchable alone but a classic when you're with a friend. At one point yesterday, Nick was running a fast break with Shawn Marion of the Suns. As he neared the hoop he hit the "shoot" button, which transferred control to the game. The computer proceeded to do a jump stop at the foul line, run two steps towards the hoop, spin away from no one, and then take flight. It wasn't until Marion was behind the backboard that he flipped the ball towards the hoop. The only thing that would have made this play better is if the ball traveled through the glass. On to the releases!

Contact - I don't read previews. In my first column for the Edmond Sun, I wrote that the best way to pick out a gem from a lineup of titles you have never heard of is to look at who made it. Seems pretty obvious, but I hardly think most people know that Sony London is a crap studio whereas Sony Santa Monica is great. Anyway, Grasshopper is behind Contact. It's hard to judge a developer on just one game, but Grasshopper is the team behind Killer 7. At the very least, Killer 7 is something that needs to be experienced. I still don't know if I liked it, and it definitely wasn't "fun," but it is one of the most memorable games from last generation. Contact is an RPG and the player, which better be you, plays an actual character within the game. Just like every other game out there, you control some main character using convential means of control. However, you are actually an invisible entity within this world. The only one who knows you exist is this crazy scientist who must just get a kick out of seeing you mess with people. I am pumped. I will be spending many a happy hour in the company bathroom playing this one.

Splinter Cell: Double Agent - Up until about two hours ago I was excited about this game. I've never like Splinter Cell because, as Nick already said, it is unforgivable. I don't like games that require trial and error to get through. But the multiplayer, which I first wrote about a few years ago, just sounds so damn interesting. You've got your team of gun wielding mercenaries, risking their life to protect some random government facility. The other guys are badass spies. Kind of like ninjas without katana blades. Crawl along walls, crack some necks, and do all kind of sneaky crap. There just aren't many action games out there that offer different classes. The only difference you see in most games is a different skin, which can make gameplay bland and repetitive after awhile. SC's multi is like an RTS: different classes with their own strengths and weaknesses. Sounds sweet, and the demo is certainly cool, but I'm going to have to pass. Splinter is totally generic compared to...

Bully - There are two things that really annoy me in games: horrible AI and lack of environmental interaction. I can't put up with either of these in next generation games anymore. I just can't do it. If you're trying to create a realistic world yet the non-playable characters are walking into walls and your character can't walk over a brick on the ground, well, you've failed. So here comes Bully, a PS2 title, and it does things next gen games still haven't. All the NPC are real. They act like humans. They have their own lives when you aren't around. This is a living, breathing world. Bully is kind of like The Sims with gameplay. You can build relationships with everyone you meet or you can walk around with pants on your head shooting ducks with a slingshot you made in shop class. It's your call. This is the type of interaction I want in all my games. I am a firm believer that choice is the future of gaming. You need to allow gamers to choose their own path through a game. I may not be a huge fan of RockStar, but this seems like a great milestone for lesser developers to strive for.